Reed for musical instruments



Dec. 9, 1952 J. WEST ETAL .REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Nov. 29, 1949 FIG. 5]

FIG. 1. i

Patented Dec. 9, 1952 REED FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Joseph West, London, and Jack Brooksbank, Morden, England Application November 29, 1949, Serial No. 129,926 In Great Britain December 6, 1948 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to reeds for musical instruments such as harmonicas, accordions and the like and especially to methods and mean for assembling individual reeds in a reed plate.

Reeds for musical instruments have been formed with heads which, to hold the reed in position, have interlocked with correspondingly shaped holes in a reed plate or the body of the instrument in alignment with the air slots. With such an arrangement, it has hitherto been necessary to provide two different sets of reeds, one set for use as draw reeds and the other set as blow reeds.

From one aspect, the present invention provides a reed having a head shaped to fit into a correspondingly shaped recess or hole in a reed plate or body of the instrument in alignment with the air slots, the head being so shaped that it can be inserted into the recess or hole in either of two positions and the reed being attached to the head in such a manner that in one of these positions the tip of the reed lies above the slot (thus forming a draw reed) and in the other position the tip lies below the slot (thus forming a blow reed).

From another aspect, a reed in accordance with the invention has an enlarged head which can be inserted into a groove in the reed plate or body of the instrument said enlarged end having a projecting portion which fits into a corresponding depression into the groove.

The head may be of frusto conical shape tapering towards the reed proper root or may be of uniform section. A lug on one side of the head can engage in either of two recesses formed (180 apart) on each side of a correspondingly shaped hole in the reed plate, the lug serving to locate and retain the head in the selected position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which show alternative constructions according to the invention:

Fig. 1 shows in perspective, partly in section, a reed-plate for two reeds with the reeds in position.

Fig. 2 shows an end view with a reed in position as a draw reed.

Fig. 3 shows a similar View with a reed in position as a blow reed.

Fig. 4 shows in perspective a single reed-plate with a groove at the end to receive a reed.

Fig. 5 shows upside down in perspective a reed to be fixed to the reed-plate.

Fig. 6 shows a section through the reed-plate with the reed in position.

Referring first to Figs. 1-3 the reed-plate I has two reed-slots 2, 3 and has at its enlarged end 4 conical holes 5 with horizontal side grooves 6, 1 at their ends.

The reeds 6 have at their ends conical plugs l with side lugs 8, 9.

These plugs fit into the holes 5 With the lugs 8, 9 fitting the side grooves 6, 1.

If a reed is fitted one way up, as shown in Fig. 2, it acts as a draw reed; if fitted the reverse way up, as shown in Fig. 3 it acts as a blow reed.

Referring now to Figs. 4-6, a single reed-plate ID has a reed-slot H and a groove l2 at its end with a chamfered hole It at the bottom of the groove.

The reed M has an enlarged end l5 with a pin [6, shaped to fit the hole [3, projecting from it. When so fitted it is fixed by cementing or by heating and riveting over.

The enlarged end may be so shaped that it may fit into the groove either way up and have a pin it top and bottom.

We claim:

1. A reed and plate assembly for a musical reed instrument, comprising a plate having a slot therein and a recess in one end and opening into said slot, with a keyway opening into said recess, said recess being wider than said slot, and a reed including a reed portion and a base portion at one end of said reed portion, said reed portion being of a size to fit into said plate slot and said base portion being larger than said reed portion in both width and depth and fitting in said recess. and a key element on said base portion and fitting in said plate keyway to anchor said reed base portion in said plate recess.

2. A reed for a musical reed instrument comprising a reed portion and a base portion at one end of said reed portion, said base portion having both a width and a depth that is larger than said reed portion, and a key element on said base portion.

3. A reed as defined in claim 2 wherein said base portion is symmetrical in cross-section and said key is symmetrically disposed thereon whereby said reed may be used either way around as a blow reed or as a draw reed.

JOSEPH WEST. JACK BROOKSBANK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 373,118 Wood Nov. 15, 1887 1,339,960 Lamprecht May 11, 1920 2,368,842 Kealoha Feb. 6, 1945 

